MALI: Fighters disguised as peacekeepers attack UN base

A rocket and car bomb attack on French and UN soldiers in Mali has left one person dead and many others injured. Militants disguised as UN peacekeepers – in distinctive blue helmets and driving a vehicle marked with the UN logo – struck two bases near the airport in Timbuktu. The UN mission confirmed one […]

A rocket and car bomb attack on French and UN soldiers in Mali has left one person dead and many others injured.

Militants disguised as UN peacekeepers – in distinctive blue helmets and driving a vehicle marked with the UN logo – struck two bases near the airport in Timbuktu.

The UN mission confirmed one of its peacekeepers had been killed.

More than a dozen others, including many French soldiers, were wounded, according to the government.

In a statement, the security ministry said the attack involved dozens of rockets fired by militants “wearing blue helmets”. Two vehicles were also packed with explosives. One of the vehicles exploded, the ministry said, while the other, bearing the UN symbol, was stopped.

The ministry said that while five people were seriously injured, the fighting had ended and the situation was under control.